We have bible thumpers up on the square. Yelling at the people as they shout out condemnatory scriptures. White men under 30 with white shirts and black slacks, some with black ties...too loud to be Mormons. Yet they are allowed under local law to do so. Nice quiet carts are preferable to the lunchtime crowd. Dancing is better
Apathy trollies in my city.
by punkofnice 96 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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nicolaou
I reckon WT may have shot themselves in the foot with these carts. They aren't working but if they try to take this lazy arse form of service away now the priveliged 'carties' will not be happy.
Hmmm, like Watchtower would care about that.
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Bungi Bill
The one I encountered last Saturday was positioned at the side of a footpath in a city park. There was literally nobody in site, other than the shadowy form behind the heavily-tinted glasswork of an SUV in an adjacent carpark.
If that individual was the same one who placed the stand where it was, then he/she positioned themselves where they could not possibly engage passers by in conversation.
I was tempted to grab the bloody thing and throw it into a nearby drainage ditch!
Bill.
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Ding
No doors shut in your face... people just pretend you aren't there and walk on by. -
punkofnice
In my neck of the woods the fundies are fairly quiet. I did see a big tent set up by some born again types and the apathy trolly looked pathetic next to it as the brother(tm) sat on the nearby bench looking bored spitless. -
coalize
Here, the carts are often at the door of a train or subway station.
Never seen one single guy to stop at them!
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Joe Grundy
Punk:
In answer to your question in OP - yes, they certainly are here in my small town in West Wales. This is the sort of town where you generally bump into people you know and a walk through town usually involves stopping several times for greetings/conversation.
Last time I saw a cart, a couple of weeks ago, it was on a sunny Saturday morning on a busy pedestrian spot. Manned by two young guys (20-ish or younger). TBH I felt sorry for them - they had shirts and ties and looked a bit nerdy and geeky, with all due respect. It was noticeable that pedestrians gave them a wide berth but were happy to pause (and contribute) to busker nearby.
Mea culpa, I couldn't be bothered to engage the JW bros in conversation. They were of an age where they have access to the internet. Sometimes I don't have the time or inclination to engage with robotic drones.
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punkofnice
Coal-eyes - No. they seem to dislike attention despite having their 'vending machine' with them.
JoeG - I don't have the time or inclination to engage with robotic drones.
Oh, I know that feeling very well. It feels like flogging a dead horse at times.
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Sail Away
I have not seen a single JW trolley in my area in the USA (East Coast-New England), but saw two in the country of Panama. In each case I approached them, since they weren't even trying to make eye contact with me or anyone else. I told them I have family that are JWs in the US and tried to not use too much JW terminology, so they wouldn't suspect that I am an ex-JW. Since so few people in Panama speak English, I was mostly trying to pump them for local knowledge-- Where is the bank? Where is the best supplied grocery store? Where is the best fresh produce market? etc., as I was there to research retirement possibilities in the area. In each case, the "witnesses" felt it necessary to emphasize their titles which would be unimportant to a "worldly" person. I found this odd. They made no attempt to preach to me or offer any literature, just to tell me their positions in the organization. In the time I observed them, not one member of the general public approached them.I was surprised by my reaction to seeing these witnesses with their carts-- I was angry that they were there targeting vulnerable people. One of the reasons I want to move away from the area I am in now is to get away from the witnesses I am surrounded by and have known for over four decades. They targeted me as a vulnerable pre-teen in an unstable family environment. I don't want to end up in an area where I have to see them in the town square or at the bus stops! I'm fine with being shunned (officially "inactive", not DF'd, won't DA) by all the people I grew up with and raised my kids with for over forty years. I don't want to talk to them anyway!
Coronado, Panama at a bus stop. The local elder and pioneer stepped out of the photo. It was really too crowded at the bus stop in Coronado to have any kind of discussion. The positioning of the cart made no sense whatsoever. It was on a busy, noisy street with cars flying by, and the witnesses were positioned behind the backs of the people at the bus stop. They were being totally ignored.
The Substitute C.O. in training on left and C.O. on Right in Bocas Del Toro, Panama seem very young for their positions.
Missionary in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. There is Chinese literature on the trolley, because there is a significant Chinese population in the area. I did find out that there are three congregations in Bocas del Toro, Panama-- one English with 40 publishers, one Spanish with 60 publishers and one with 35 people from a local indigenous tribe. -
KateWild
I like the way you call them apathy trollies. The JWs have nothing to do standing there all day. I always approach them if I am free as they have no one else chatting to them. I normally tell them my story and see if they respond favourably. Some cut me off and direct me to Bethel or my elders, but some actually listen and agree that there is injustice.
Some give me their experiences. As long as I get a listening ear I will always approach them, you never know who will respond, have doubts and do some research and eventually leave
Kate xx